This fire district in Stanislaus County is raising development fees. What are the new costs?
Stanislaus County leaders voted Tuesday to authorize new development impact fees for the Salida Fire Protection District, an agency that has struggled financially.
The facility fees will be imposed on building permits issued within the district after Sept. 9. The 43-square-mile district, with three fire stations, serves the unincorporated communities of Salida and Del Rio. It has not updated fees on construction since 2008.
Salida fire will use the fee revenue for facilities and purchase of vehicles and firefighting equipment, said a staff report for Tuesday’s county Board of Supervisors meeting.
Over the past 15 years, Salida’s current fees on construction have ranged between 17 and 92 cents per square foot, depending on whether it’s a residential, commercial or industrial project.
A fee study by Capital Public Finance Group of Roseville recommended a straight fee of 73 cents per square foot. The fee will increase the one-time charge for a new 2,000-square-foot home from $980 to $1,460.
County Supervisor Terry Withrow at first questioned the methodology for the updated fees, but the board ultimately gave unanimous approval.
Capital Group staff said they used a “buy-in” method in calculating the amount. Under that methodology, new development buys into a fire service network that already exists. When the district needs to purchase a new water tender, part of the cost is allocated to new development because the equipment will serve both newer and older sections of the district.
The Capital Group study said the fees are designed to mitigate new construction’s impact on the district’s capability to respond to emergencies.
“Given the existing demands placed on the district, existing stations, vehicles and equipment should not be utilized to accommodate new construction at the expense of existing service levels,” the study said. “To offset the impact, the development fees will be used to construct or purchase new facilities, vehicles and equipment necessary to accommodate such growth.”
The study estimated the total impact from new development at $12.85 million, including station improvements, equipment and vehicles. As of January 2023, the Salida district had $524,941 in previously collected development fees for facility projects.
Mark Stone, chairman of the Salida fire board, said the district’s immediate needs include a new roof for the downtown Salida station, which doubles as a Sheriff’s Office substation. It is dealing with a well problem at another station and needs to replace an old water tender.
Withrow, whose supervisorial district includes Salida, said the fire district will have to deal with a general fund shortfall in about a year, but development fees are not supposed to pay for personnel or other operating costs. Officials will work on a solution for the general fund, he said.
Salida has an agreement with Modesto to improve firefighting response.
“The people of Salida have told us they won’t support another tax increase,” Stone said. “We have a (community facilities district) that will generate money with new development.”
